MAFS’ Julia Calls Out Biphobia: “Frustrating To Be Reduced To My Sexuality”

Much has been said about Julia Vogl, Married At First Sight (MAFS) 2026's first-ever bisexual bride. But sadly, along with countless discussions about her sexuality, we've seen swathes of biphobic comments come her way, simply because she didn't like the one man she was paired with on the show. Julia tells Refinery29 Australia she's frustrated at her sexuality being the only talking point, and discusses all the mistakes producers and viewers have been making. "It is frustrating to constantly be reduced to my sexuality, because there's so much more to me than my sexuality. In fact, me being bisexual is probably the most boring thing about me," Julia says. "It is completely my entire storyline [and] so many assumptions have been made in my portrayal."

The line producers and her onscreen husband Grayson McIvor have run with, is that Julia isn't into men. It's a rhetoric that's far too common when it comes to bisexuality, and to put it plainly, it's biphobic. During the third Dinner Party, Grayson told producers that he believes Julia "wanted a woman", reinforcing these stereotypes. "Suggesting that because I wasn't interested in this one man, therefore I must be a lesbian, it's a cop out, and it feels really harmful. Often bisexuals feel misunderstood and unseen, and this is just another classic example of this happening," she says. "I am attracted to men and women, but the connection [is the most] important thing, and I just [didn't have that]. So that meant I didn't want to be physically intimate [with Grayson]."

Julia's sexuality aside, the fact that any woman should be penalised or criticised because they're not ready to be physically intimate with a man is gross behaviour. The whole point of Married At First Sight is matching two strangers, who may or may not like each other. And if you wouldn't pursue a relationship with them outside the experiment, there's no reason that they should feel entitled to your body. "The narrative that I should have been more physically intimate with a, basically, a stranger to me, is so harmful," Julia says. "Watching it back, I could see Grayson was quite judgmental and critical of my choice [to play cards] for my fantasy night. But I just want to make it clear I'm no prude. That is absolutely not my ultimate fantasy. I'm a sexual person, a very sexual person, but I was nowhere near that point in that moment with him, so I wasn't going to do anything I was uncomfortable with, and I stand by it."

There's also a possibility that Grayson wanted Julia to prove she wasn't a lesbian by getting intimate, which Julia believes comes down to his fragile male ego. While the bride told him during the experiment she was honestly ready to be matched with either a man or a woman, he didn't believe her. "I think it made more sense and was easier for him to understand that I actually would have preferred to be matched with a woman, than [him] just being a gentleman and going, 'You know what? I went on a show and no one guaranteed me love. And unfortunately, it's not working out.'," she muses. "It's coming across like a fragile ego. Take your fragile ego to put it on me that it must be my problem, rather than something that was happening in our relationship."

The breakdown of Julia and Grayson's relationship wasn't due to anybody's sexuality. The bride says she didn't feel safe with him, and when it was time to end it, she did in a thoughtful way. And while she didn't owe anybody to "try harder", viewers are also missing context that was left on the cutting floor. "On our anniversary, we went for dinner, and I actually kissed him. So I was really trying," she recalls. "Breaking up with Grayson in a letter [which was shown] on our anniversary, [it did] not happen on our anniversary... these bits of missing context add to this perception that I must be a lesbian, I didn't try."

In the end, Julia went on MAFS to find love, and found herself instead reduced to stereotypes and her sexuality. Reality TV can be harmful, untrue and tough on participants, which is why she wants to speak out now. "My friends and family have been so incredibly supportive. They know who I am, and they're so disappointed in this one-sided version that we're seeing," she says.

"I'm not going to be liked by everyone, and that's okay. But it is really difficult when you know you've been reduced down to one facet of who you are, when it's just not my whole personality at all."